A new method of concrete surface protection has been announced which aims to avoid the possibility of bridges collapsing due to rust.
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems (IMS) in Duisburg have created a passive sensor-transponder that ensures concrete surface protection by analysing how far rust ions have penetrated into the material.
Field tests are already underway to determine how successfully the sensor-transponder can operate in a real-world setting.
The device works by containing iron wires designed to fail as rust penetrates deeper into the structure of the bridge.
IMS researcher Frederic Myer says: "If the dissolved salts reach the iron wires, these begin to corrode and break.
"The number of defective iron wires is an indicator of the extent of corrosion and the depth to which the concrete's protective layer has been penetrated."
Damage occurs to bridges due to a combination of factors, including the use of salt to grit roads in winter.
This salt ultimate degrades into ionic component parts which pose a threat to bridges by rusting the strengthening iron rods within the bridge itself, resulting in cracks.
IMS studies focus on the development of sensors, in particular for detecting changes in pressure, along with transponders for smartcard applications - with this device bringing the two areas together.
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems (IMS) in Duisburg have created a passive sensor-transponder that ensures concrete surface protection by analysing how far rust ions have penetrated into the material.
Field tests are already underway to determine how successfully the sensor-transponder can operate in a real-world setting.
The device works by containing iron wires designed to fail as rust penetrates deeper into the structure of the bridge.
IMS researcher Frederic Myer says: "If the dissolved salts reach the iron wires, these begin to corrode and break.
"The number of defective iron wires is an indicator of the extent of corrosion and the depth to which the concrete's protective layer has been penetrated."
Damage occurs to bridges due to a combination of factors, including the use of salt to grit roads in winter.
This salt ultimate degrades into ionic component parts which pose a threat to bridges by rusting the strengthening iron rods within the bridge itself, resulting in cracks.
IMS studies focus on the development of sensors, in particular for detecting changes in pressure, along with transponders for smartcard applications - with this device bringing the two areas together.